Paid period leave in Italy ‘risks making workplace inequality worse’

If passed the law would grant female employees with painful periods three days off a month

Women riding scooters in Rome (Getty Images)

Offering paid menstrual leave to women in Italy risks making workplace inequality worse, critics of a new law being discussed by the Italian Parliament have said.

The law, which grants women who experience painful periods three extra days off work each month, was presented this month and if passed will make Italy the first Western country with an official menstrual leave policy.

But while the proposal is being celebrated by many as a progressive step that recognises the need for workplace flexibility, others have warned that it may contribute to discrimination against women by employers.

“It has been shown that women who suffer severe pain during their period are much less productive in these days,” said Simonetta Rubinato, a politician who put the law forward with three other female lawmakers.

“Recognising their right to be absent from work during that time means they will be much more productive when they return.”

Italy’s labour laws include five months of mandatory paid maternity leave at 80 per cent of a mother’s salary, followed by an extra six months of optional parental leave, which both men and women can take.

However, maternity discrimination remains widespread, with some employers forcing their workers to sign a resignation letter in advance, leaving the date to be filled in by the boss, according to Vice News.

There are rules designed to limit this controversial practice, however some fear menstrual leave would increase other forms of workplace discrimination including hiring practices.

“Employers could become even more oriented to hire men rather than women,” Lorenza Pleuteri wrote in women’s magazine Donna Moderna.

The employment rate of Italian women is 61 per cent, according to the Washington Post – well below the EU average of 72 per cent.

According to a report by ISTAT, Italy's national bureau of statistics, almost one-fourth of pregnant workers are fired during or right after their pregnancies – even though doing so is illegal.

Japan, South Korea and Indonesia are among the countries that offer some form of menstrual leave, with Taiwan offering women three days off a year if they suffer from cramps.

Last March, Bristol-based social enterprise Coexist introduced a “period policy” for its largely female workforce, allowing them to take days off if they are in pain.

“Many companies are male-dominated and encourage long hours but there is a misconception that taking time off makes a business unproductive,” said Coexit’s director Bex Baxter at the time.

“This is not about employees taking more time off but working more flexibly and efficiently around their menstrual cycle and encouraging a work-life balance.”

While the organisation, which runs a community arts centre, said it aimed to “break the last great taboo” of women having to take sick leave during their periods, its new policy received a mixed reaction when it was announced.

Some said the idea encouraged equality by accommodating workers’ biological needs, while others said the idea could reinforce stigma towards menstruation or even contribute to discrimination against women on the career ladder.